Ironing apparatus



18, 1964 H. J. WOLLNER 3,144,724

IRONING APPARATUS Filed July 9, 1962 Y L I] INVENTOR. fi Zverz J life/filer United States Patent 3,144,724 IRONING APPARATUS Herbert J. Wollner, Belmont, Mass, assignor to ACH Fiber Service, Inc., Boston, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed July 9, 1962, Ser. No. 208,198 2 Claims. (Ci. 3869) This invention relates to the art of ironing, calendering and decating fabric, etc., either to impart fiber and yarn set or to remove wrinkles, particularly the latter.

Objects of the invention are to iron material rapidly and effectively without danger of scorching or upbraiding the material and to produce an ironing device which is compact and light in weight and therefore especially useful in traveling.

The invention involves apparatus comprising a housing which is curved in cross-section about a longitudinal axis, a rotor in the housing having an axis approximately parallel to said axis, and a brush on said rotor, the housing having a longitudinal slot in one side through which the fabric or other material may be brushed, the housing having an inlet through which a current of air or steam may flow to the material presented to said slot, and means to heat the current, said brush comprising bristles mounted on the rotor so that their free ends wipe sidewise over the inner periphery of the housing and over the fabric at said slot, whereby the fabric is ironed without being upbraided by the ends of the bristles. The aforesaid inlet may be in the end of the housing or it may comprise an elongate opening in the side of the housing. The bristles may comprise fine wire, strips of rubber or the like, etc., but they preferably comprise animal or synthetic fibers. They may be longer than the distance between the aforesaid rotor and slot or they may be mounted on the rotor so that they incline relatively to radii of the rotor in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation or both. To insure against upbraiding the fabric a guard may be mounted between the slot and fabric at the side of the slot in the direction of rotation. The housing should have an inner surface generated by the motion of a straight line remaining parallel to itself and constantly intersecting a curve, preferably a cylindrical surface.

For the purpose of illustration typical embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a similar section of another embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

The particular embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 comprises a cylindrical casing 1 having tapered ends 2 and 3 provided with inlets 4 and 5. On one side the casing has a slot bounded by edges 6 and 7 extending throughout the entire length of the cylindrical portion. Journaled in bearings 8 and 9 at the opposite ends of the cylindrical portion of the casing is a rotor 10 carrying bristles 11 which are longer than the distance between the rotor and casing so that they wipe over the interior of the casing flatwise as shown in FIG. 3. Mounted on one end of the casing is a motor 12 for rotating the brush 10-11. Disposed inside the conical ends of the casing are electrical heaters 13 and 14. Secured to the edge 6 of the casing is a guard "ice plate 15 extending the full length of the slot to prevent the ends of the bristles from upbraiding the fabric F as the bristles approach the edge 6.

The modification shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 is similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 and corresponding parts are correspondingly designated. However instead of having inlets at the ends of the casing it has an inlet 16 for supplying air or steam through a slot 17 extending throughout substantially the entire length of the casing. Inside the inlet 16 is an electrical heater 18. The rotor 10 has radial flanges 19 extending throughout its entire length and the bristles 21 are attached to the outer ends of the radial flanges to extend tangentially, thereby to wipe over the fabric F tangentially.

In use the fabric to be ironed is laid on a table T and the device is moved over the fabric, to the left in FIGS. 3 and 4, or the fabric is pulled to the right under the device. Air or steam is drawn through the device by the centrifugal force imparted by the rotating brush. Thus the heated air or steam tends to soften the fabric as it is being brushed so that wrinkles may be readily removed. If the material is damp heated air also tends to dry the material as it is being brushed. In larger apparatus such as a calendering machine, the material is fed through the machine.

From the foregoing it will be understood that a characteristic feature of the invention is that the fabric is brushed with the sides of the bristles and the free ends of the bristles are prevented from upbraiding the fabric.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

This application is a continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 140,331, filed September 25, 1961, now abandoned.

I claim:

1. For ironing material such as fabric, apparatus comprising a housing which is curved in cross-section about a longitudinal axis, a rotor in the housing having an axis approximately parallel to said axis, and a brush on said rotor, the housing having a longitudinal slot in one side through which said material may be brushed, the housing having an inlet through which air may flow to the material presented to said slot, and means to heat said air, said brush comprising bristles mounted on the rotor so that their free ends wipe sidewise over the inner periphery of the housing and over the fabric at said slot, said bristles being much longer than the distance from the rotor to said periphery so that only the sides of the bristles Wipe over the fabric, whereby the fabric is ironed without being upbraided by the ends of the bristles.

2. Ironing apparatus according to claim 1 including means for mounting said bristles on the rotor so that they incline relatively to radii of the rotor in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation from their inner ends toward their outer ends.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 773,067 Fletcher Oct. 25, 1904 848,377 Kudrle et al Mar. 26, 1907 1,915,073 Svensson June 20, 1933 1,984,191 Kuhnel Dec. 11, 1934 

1. FOR IRONING MATERIAL SUCH AS FABRIC, APPARATUS COMPRISING A HOUSING WHICH IS CURVED IN CROSS-SECTION ABOUT A LONGITUDINAL AXIS, A ROTOR IN THE HOUSING HAVING AN AXIS APPROXIMATELY PARALLEL TO SAID AXIS, AND A BRUSH ON SAID ROTOR, THE HOUSING HAVING A LONGITUDINAL SLOT IN ONE SIDE THROUGH WHICH SAID MATERIAL MAY BE BRUSHED, THE HOUSING HAVING AN INLET THROUGH WHICH AIR MAY FLOW TO THE MATERIAL PRESENTED TO SAID SLOT, AND MEANS TO HEAT SAID AIR, SAID BRUSH COMPRISING BRISTLES MOUNTED ON THE ROTOR SO THAT THEIR FREE ENDS WIPE SIDEWISE OVER THE INNER PERIPHERY OF THE HOUSING AND OVER THE FABRIC AT SAID SLOT, SAID BRISTLES BEING MUCH LONGER THAN THE DISTANCE FROM THE ROTOR TO SAID PERIPHERY SO THAT ONLY THE SIDES OF THE BRISTLES WIPE OVER THE FABRIC, WHEREBY THE FABRIC IS IRONED WITHOUT BEING UPBRAIDED BY THE ENDS OF THE BRISTLES. 